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An electric vehicle charging point at Ninebanks Youth Hostel was part funded by the SDF in 2012

Call for ‘Expressions of Interest’ by 15 January 2013

Search for projects

The search is on for great ideas that will benefit the communities of the North Pennines – and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership is offering funding to turn those ideas into reality.

Deadline

The AONB Partnership has announced the opening of its Sustainable Development and Small Grant Funds for the financial year starting in April 2013. Potential applicants need to complete ‘Expression of Interest’ forms by Tuesday 15 January 2013.

The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) and Small Grants Fund (SGF) will make tens of thousands of pounds of funding available to community organisations, charities, businesses, parish councils and public bodies in the coming year. Funding for the SDF has come from Defra. These grants will build on success in previous years that has seen over 200 projects supported through similar funding from the AONB Partnership.

Positive impact

Cllr Eddie Tomlinson, Chairman of the North Pennines AONB Partnership, said: “The Sustainable Development Fund is set to continue making a real and positive impact on the communities, businesses and natural beauty of the North Pennines. This is an excellent opportunity to advance sustainable development in the AONB, to the benefit of current and future generations of local people and visitors”.

Project ideas

The AONB Partnership is inviting people to come forward with innovative project ideas. Initiatives that are based within or benefit the North Pennines AONB, which aim to support environmental, social and economic prosperity could be eligible for funding usually between £1,000 and £7,000 from the SDF, or, £300 and £1,000 from the SGF.

Funding

Simon Wilson, Project Development Officer with the North Pennines AONB Partnership who manages the funds, added: “This funding builds on our earlier schemes and provides greater opportunities to target money and advice to projects which will help to implement the North Pennines AONB Management Plan. They are particularly well received by businesses and communities in the current economic climate”.

Expressions of Interest

Applicants for the SDF will initially be asked to fill in a simple ‘Expression of Interest’ form to be returned by 15 January 2013. Pre-application advice will also be offered by a member of the North Pennines AONB Partnership Staff Unit, based in Stanhope. Applications will be assessed by a panel, which is drawn from the AONB Partnership. Decisions will be made before the start of the next financial year.

The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership is looking for community support to test particular routes in the spectacular landscape of the North Pennines.

Web guide

The AONB Partnership is hoping to develop a web based guide to 12 of the best accessible routes in the area.

Differing abilities

Using existing rights of way and some new trails, the aim of the project is to help make the area better used by individuals, groups and families with a range of walking abilities. These will include people in wheelchairs and families with buggies who want a day out in the countryside.

Twelve routes around the North Pennines have been identified as potentially suitable. These vary from 1.5 to 4 miles in length and are well spread across the AONB including paths at Derwent Reservoir, Talkin Tarn, Kirkby Stephen, Allenbanks and Bowlees. The trails pass through woodlands, alongside reservoirs and tarns, and across moorland capturing all the landscapes of the North Pennines.

Checking for suitability

The routes now need a detailed check for suitability and the Partnership, with the Friends of the North Pennines is on the look out for disability groups, mother and toddler groups, and people who have special mobility requirements, to get involved. Several groups have already signed up to help.

Confidence

After all the checking is completed, suitable routes and attractions will be promoted online and in publications to encourage a greater diversity of people to experience the countryside of the North Pennines with confidence.

Rebecca Baker, Conservation and Land Management Trainee, who is leading on the project for the North Pennines AONB Partnership said: “This is a great opportunity for people to help us identify the barriers to visiting the North Pennines. This work will ultimately encourage local people and visitors to enjoy and appreciate the stunning natural beauty of the North Pennines through using new and existing paths and trails”

Important work

Shane Harris, Tourism & Communications Manager for the Partnership, added: “This is really important work and will lead to better and more accessible information for less mobile people to get out and about and enjoy what the North Pennines has to offer. Limited mobility can be permanent or temporary, severe or slight – it might be a family with a pushchair or someone recovering from knee surgery or a heart attack – whatever the circumstances or cause the ability to easily access the stunning landscapes and fresh air of the AONB is something that everyone should be able to do.”

Volunteer!

If you would like to be involved in helping to develop these potential routes in the North Pennines AONB, please contact Rebecca Baker on 01388 528801 (rbaker@northpenninesaonb.org.uk)

Catch up with what’s new with our community wildlife-recording project

Catch up

If you haven’t yet caught up with the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s new wildlife project, WildWatch North Pennines, you have three chances to catch up at one of our Winter Gatherings in November and December.

Successful project

The project which is running with a grant of £316,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) – has already been highly successful in getting residents and visitors alike mapping and recording the wildlife that is hopping, buzzing and flying all over the North Pennines.

Progress

Since the launch events in March 2012 the Partnership has arranged over forty training sessions about wildlife identification and recording, ranging from reptile recognition to grassland fungi recording. Over 180 individuals have been trained and over 6,500 new wildlife records have been sent to the project’s website and then passed on to the regional record centres – a massive boost to our wildlife knowledge.

Free gatherings

The free Winter Gatherings are an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved in the first year of the project and to share our thoughts and plans for next year. At the end of each event there will be an opportunity to help shape the formation of one of three new wildlife groups for the North Pennines.

There is a guest speaker at each event as well as a hot buffet meal and plenty of opportunity to discuss the project with the AONB Partnership’s WildWatch Project Co-ordinator Andy Lees and Education and Events Officer Fiona Knox.

Andy said: “WildWatch is open to complete beginners or experienced wildlife watchers, and next year’s training programme will include something for everyone. We would love to see new faces as well as familiar ones and this is an ideal time to get involved as we hope to be setting up three new local wildlife groups which will help carry the project forward. The events will also be our chance to share our experience of the last eight months and to get help with planning surveys and training for the coming year.

“Our hope that people living in and visiting the North Pennines would become the eyes and the ears of the project has been realised. Thousands of new wildlife records have been shared with the regional data centres, making sure that they can be used for the purposes of conservation. Now we just want to build on this momentum and ensure that wildlife watching and recording keeps growing in the North Pennines for the foreseeable future.”
More information

The AONB Partnership is asking people to be vigilant in the North Pennines

People living in and visiting the North Pennines AONB are being asked to be vigilant for any signs of Chalara dieback in ash trees in the area.

Serious disease

Chalara dieback of ash is a serious disease of ash trees caused by a fungus called Chalara fraxinea. The disease causes leaf loss and crown dieback in affected trees, and it can lead to tree death.

Critical landscape feature

Director of the AONB Partnership, Chris Woodley-Stewart, said: “Ash trees are a major component of the North Pennines landscape; losing these trees would significantly alter the character of our woodlands, many of our field boundaries and the overall feel of the landscape in parts of the AONB”.

Mr Woodley-Stewart added: “We are supporting the Forestry Commission and FERA Plant Health, as much as we can, in their efforts to safeguard the native woodlands in the area”.

Assisting the Forestry Commission

The AONB Partnership has written to the owners of new woodlands planted during the Partnership’s HLF-funded Living North Pennines project, which created over 300ha of new native woodland within the North Pennines. Ash trees were a major component of these planting schemes. Details of all these woodlands and their owners have been shared with the Forestry Commission and FERA Plant Health to assist them in their work inspecting newly-established woodland.

AONB Partnership Woodland Officer Lis Airey added: “Everyone can help by familiarising themselves with the symptoms of the disease, not touching material they think may be infected, and reporting any suspicious symptoms they find to the Forestry Commission as soon as possible.”

Further information

The best source of information on Chalara dieback (including pictorial identification guides and a really useful video clip) is the Forestry Commission website – www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara. If you spot any suspicious symptoms contact the commission’s ‘Report It’ hotline on 08459 335577 (8am-6pm) (plant.health@forestry.gsi.gov.uk). Up to the minute updates are available by following @treepestnews on twitter.

The North Pennines AONB Partnership has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for their Nectarworks project, it was announced today.

Flower-rich

The project aims to restore and strengthen the network of flower-rich nectar sources across the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) through targeted management and expansion of the best examples of rare flower-rich grassland and pro-active involvement of local communities.

AONB Partnership staff will now set to work developing the project in greater detail with a view to applying for the full grant later this year.

Delighted

Rebecca Barrett, Project Development Officer for the Partnership, said “we are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund supports our proposals. If we are successful with our full application, Nectarworks will enable us to work with farmers and smallholders across the AONB to conserve and enhance the very best areas of flower-rich grassland that remain.”

Important habitat

A survey carried out in the North Pennines in 2010 showed the importance of flower-rich grasslands for rare species like the moss carder bee. Rebecca added “creatures like this have disappeared from much of the rest of the country owing to the loss of flower-rich grassland. But with important areas of these grasslands still remaining in the North Pennines, there is time to prevent their loss and so to retain the wildlife that depends on them.” A further finding of the survey was the important role that gardens play in providing sources of nectar for bumblebees, particularly in the spring and autumn. Through Nectarworks, the AONB Partnership plans to build on these findings by working with schools, local residents and volunteers to improve their grounds and gardens for bumblebees.

Network of nectar sources

“We hope to develop the idea of our landscape supporting a network of nectar sources” said Rebecca. “Through Nectarworks, we plan to help people take action to strengthen this network by increasing the diversity of plants present, whether they have a whole farm, a single meadow or a small garden”,

If the AONB Partnership secures support from the Heritage Lottery Fund at the second stage, the Nectarworks project will be launched in the spring of 2013.

Ivor Crowther, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North East, said: “Through this engaging project people will have the chance to get actively involved in our natural heritage. Farmers, smallholders and volunteers will be able to learn about how to best protect these important habitats and species for the future and share with others the important role they play in our lives. The Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to be giving our initial support to this project that will help people connect with the natural world.”

The North Pennines AONB Partnership is a step closer to re-opening Bowlees Visitor Centre with the announcement that North Pennine Dales LEADER has awarded the project £75,000 towards refurbishment costs.

Once refurbished, the centre will provide high quality locally sourced food and will feature a new interpretation and retail area selling items of local interest. The centre will provide information about the whole of the North Pennines AONB & Geopark and what it has to offer; local places to visit, places to stay and things to see and do.

Significant

Jon Charlton, Programme Development Manager for the Partnership said: “This really significant contribution from North Pennine Dales LEADER will enable us to get on with the project in earnest. We are pleased to be starting work on the next phase of the scheme this week and work will be completed by early in the New Year. Over the winter we will put everything in place to enable us to re-open the centre”.

The funding is being made available through the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union.

The Partnership’s plans for the centre include the creation of an enlarged first floor with a new staircase, a new kitchen, servery and retail areas inside with a new toilet block and enlarged seating area outside. Accessible parking, an electric vehicle charging point and an enhanced external lighting scheme are also planned.

Tranquil

The centre, which is leased from Raby Estate and located in the heart of Upper Teesdale, boasts a tranquil stream–side picnic area with ample car parking and fantastic walks nearby. Beauty spots including the river Tees, High and Low Force waterfalls and Gibson’s Cave are all within easy reach.

Second national award will support peatland conservation in North Pennines

The North Pennines AONB Partnership has won a second national award to support peatland restoration in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

A National Partnership grant from Biffa Award of £500,000 has been awarded to a collaboration between the Friends of the North Pennines and the North Pennines AONB Partnership. The Biffa Award will allow the AONB Partnership to begin to restore some of the badly eroding peat bodies in the North Pennines. The newly established charity, the Friends of the North Pennines will be responsible for handling the finances while the AONB Partnership will coordinate the actual restoration work. Biffa Award is one of the leading landfill communities funding schemes.

Important

Sandra Moorhouse, Vice-Chair of the Friends of the North Pennines said: “We’re very pleased that we’re able to support the AONB Partnership in this very important work. One of the aims of the charity is to conserve the natural environment of the North Pennines and restoration of our peatlands is absolutely vital.”

Chris Woodley-Stewart, Director of the AONB Partnership, said: “This award will allow us to restore large tracts of eroded peat, raise awareness of the importance of peatlands and help bring in additional investment into peatland restoration. It is also a nice example of the developing relationship between the Friends and the AONB Partnership.”

Cath Hare, Biffa Award Acting Programme Manager said: “We are delighted to be able to support this fantastic project and the work that will be undertaken. Projects like this are incredibly important for the biodiversity of local areas and it will help to restore these peatlands for the future.”

Restored

Since 2006, the AONB Partnership has restored over 250 km2 of blanket bog in the North Pennines and this Biffaward will allow the trialing of new bare peat restoration techniques. The North Pennines AONB contains the largest contiguous peat bog in England at over 1000 km2.

Two graduates are launching their nature conservation careers in the North Pennines thanks to an AONB Partnership project funded with more than £165,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Gearoid Murphy and Beck Baker have been taken on as Conservation and Land Management Trainees and will be contributing to the AONB Partnership’s conservation projects such as Hay Time and the Peatland Programme, and will be contributing to the rights of way and access work and species protection work which help to make the North Pennines a special place.

Water quality

Gearoid, age 28 from Glenbeigh in Ireland worked as a volunteer for Killarney National Park before working in the North Pennines AONB. He is particularly interested in water quality having studied Environmental Science at University College, Cork. Gearoid who is a keen hillwalker and climber said: “I really enjoy working on conservation projects and want to do more, and this seemed like an ideal opportunity. I’m also looking forward to the snowy winters here and to building a snow hole.” Gearoid has started blogging about his experiences as a trainee; he offers an entertaining view of his year in the North Pennines AONB at http://gearoidnorthpennines.blogspot.co.uk
Rebecca, age 23 from Linton, Herefordshire worked as a volunteer for Herefordshire Council carrying out woodpecker surveys and also in a support role with the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty after getting her degree in Environmental Science from Aberystwyth University. Her intention is to build a career in conservation.

Earlier this year the North Pennines AONB Partnership was awarded an extra £56,000 by the HLF to extend its highly successful Heritage Landscape Skills project. The Partnership originally won £109,500 in 2010 to give six ‘apprentices’ the chance to learn skills which would help conserve some of the region’s most beautiful landscapes for future generations.

Successful

Two years into the four-year project, five people have successfully completed their training. Two walling trainees worked with local professional wallers to finish their placements with good qualifications and are now working on a mix of wet and dry stone walling. Two more have just gained their Level 2 qualifications in Weardale, County Durham. One graduate trainee has spent 12 months on a variety of assignments from surveying hay meadows for reseeding to helping with farm environment plans, interpretation, education and access work. Gearoid and Beck’s appointments will bring the total of graduate trainees taken on by this project to seven.

Two tourism management students from the Czech Republic have recently been working with the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership to develop and trial a tourism business enterprise survey.

Aneta Lysakova and Lucie Uhlova are studying at the University of Hradec Kralove. The university works closely with the Bohemian Paradise European Geopark. The request for an exchange came through the European Geopark Network.

Experience

Aneta and Lucie reflected on their two week exchange: “We’ve gained a lot from our experience of visiting the North Pennines and working with staff from the AONB Partnership. It has been great to get to know the picturesque landscape and to work with tourism businesses in the area. We hope that the work we have been involved with will be helpful for the tourism industry in the North Pennines. We’ll take home unforgettable memories of our visit and the people we’ve met.”

Aneta and Lucie developed a test survey and visited four tourism businesses in Weardale to try it out: Dowfold House B&B in Crook; Cromer House Barn in Frosterley; Low Cornriggs Farm near Cowshill; and Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum.

Action plan

The work will support the preparation of a five-year strategy and action plan to develop sustainable tourism in the North Pennines – supporting an application to gain recognition for the area by achieving the EUROPARC Charter for Sustainable Tourism.

Jill and Rupert Richardson, owners of Dowfold House B&B, participated in the trial survey and said: “We were very happy to test the survey with Aneta and Lucie. The survey itself was thought-provoking and made us think about our business and what we would like to see happen in the North Pennines.”

Feedback

Shane Harris, Tourism and Communications Manager for the North Pennines AONB Partnership, said: “Aneta and Lucie were really enthusiastic about the project and enjoyed meeting people involved in the tourism industry in the North Pennines. We’ve had excellent feedback from the four businesses we tested the questionnaire with and the trial has really moved this piece of work forward. Once the full survey is carried out and the results analysed we should gain a much better understanding of the nature of the tourism industry in the North Pennines. It will also provide an opportunity for businesses to tell us what they would like to see happen to support the development of sustainable tourism in the area. We’re really gratefully for their work and the new thinking they brought to this project – a critical step to help us work towards the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism.”

There’s a chance to ponder time, the universe and everything while enjoying the inky black night skies above Weardale at an event organised by the North Pennines AONB Partnership next month.

‘Time Matters’ on Thursday 18 October from 7pm – 9.30pm at St John’s Chapel Town Hall will feature a series of illuminating talks and some star gazing if the skies are cloud free.

Dramatic footage

Dr Pete Edwards from Durham University will be showing some dramatic film footage of the sun’s flares and sun spots projected on a giant screen. He said: “The sun is getting spotty over the next year, it’s going through its adolescence! So there is a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights in the North Pennines some time in the next 12 months.”

Local astronomer Graham Relf will be showing some of his spectacular shots of stars and constellations, many of which have been taken with an ordinary camera at his home in Rookhope. Both scientists will help to illuminate what we mean by time. Graham said: “Most of the light of these stars is millions of years old; in fact some of the starlight we can see is from stars that no longer exist.”

Lesley Silvera of the North Pennines AONB Partnership said: “The ink-black sky above the North Pennine peatlands provide the perfect backdrop for amateur and professional astronomers alike to enjoy the wonders of the night skies. This is a great opportunity for families to discover that the North Pennines is a super place to see the night sky and learn about the vastness of the time and the universe.”

Discovery Site launch

The event will also see the announcement of the location of the first Dark Sky Discovery Site in the North Pennines – this is somewhere that is accessible, easy and safe to stargaze which is accredited by Edinburgh University as meeting the guidelines for Dark Sky Discovery sites. “We are aiming to establish 10 Dark Sky Discovery Sites throughout the North Pennines AONB where people can get far away from the light pollution of built-up areas to marvel at the sheer mass of stars in the night skies,” said Lesley.

Book your place

The Time Matters event costs £3 per person (including refreshments) and booking is essential. Booking and payment can be done online by clicking on Events in the sidebar or by contacting the AONB Partnership office on 01388 528801.